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March 5, 2011

Early Friday morning Reagan fell in the family room and on the way down she managed to hit her eye on the corner of our leather ottoman. Sarah and I were both within arms reach of her when it happened but it was one of those times where it felt like you were watching something in slow motion and just could not react fast enough.

I reached down and picked her up and as I began to lift her up, the blood just started to pour out. It was so bad that I could not tell where the blood was coming from. Her entire eye and face were drenched in blood. It was an ugly sight and I immediately flew into complete panic mode. My hands were shaking and I was screaming for Pat who was upstairs getting into the shower. Poor Sarah had never seen anything like this and started crying hysterically and yelling "Don't let her die Mommy". It was a bad scene to say the least.

Pat and I were trying to get the bleeding to stop, but we couldn't at first. It was not easy to apply pressure to the wound because Reagan was beside herself crying and carrying on and every time we touched her little face she flinched. We could see that the cut was right next to her eye, but there was a lot of blood in her actual eye and I was frightened that she might have done some damage to her eye and impaired her vision.

In a matter of minutes Pat and Sarah got dressed(they were still in their pjs) and we all headed to the Emergency Room. The cut had started to clot a little, but I could tell it was very deep and I had a sick feeling in my stomach about what she was going to endure once we arrived at the hospital.

The doctor examined the inside of her eye and checked her vision and luckily both appeared to be fine, but as soon as the doctor saw where the cut was located, he said he was probably going to try to use the glue method instead of stitches.

He changed his mind rather quickly once they tried to clean up and get a closer look at the wound. He said that it was too deep and he would have to close it with stitches. My heart sank....... How on earth are they going to stitch that close to her eye? and how are they going to keep her still?

Before they began the procedure, they suggested that Pat take Sarah out of the room and we agreed that it would be best. They warned me that as a mother it would be difficult to watch this and if I wanted to leave also, they would have a third nurse step in to hold her down. THERE WAS NO WAY I WAS LEAVING MY BABY in that room no matter how hard it was for me to watch, I was going to be right there with her every step of the way.

For those of you that have never experienced this, they wrapped Reagan in a sheet like a mummy with her arms at her sides so she could not move. They called it a papoose. Once they had her wrapped up, one nurse held her feet down while the second nurse held her head in place so the doctor could start to administer shots to numb the area and then begin suturing.

As you could imagine, this was not a pleasant experience for all involved. I think the nurses were concerned that I was going to pass out from all the blood that was still coming out of the wound, but that was not what was bothering me. It was the screams of terror coming from my daughter that had me upset. The tears were streaming down my face and I was trying to keep it together for Reagan's sake. I felt helpless and as though we were torturing her and there was nothing I could do to console her in this situation. I think the procedure took about twenty minutes from start to finish, but it felt like a lifetime and I think that anyone within a mile radius heard her.

I could not wait for them to release her out of that sheet so I could pick her up and hug her and let her know that she was okay and very safe in Mommy's arms again.

She eventually calmed down and we got our paperwork and headed home. We could see that the eye was already beginning to swell and turn black and blue.

Once we returned home, I could tell she was exhuasted and completely traumatized. She looked like the "old" Reagan. We cleaned her up, fed her some lunch, gave her some motrin for the pain, and then put her down for a nap.

When I changed her, I noticed her stomach was all scratched up and I was baffled for a moment.....then I realized that she must have scratched herself out of anger when they wrapped her up and held her down.

As soon as I got Reagan to sleep, I sat in my office with the door shut and had the ugly cry that I was trying to hold back all day. I needed to get it out.

About an hour later she woke up and it was as if nothing ever happened. She was back to her happy go lucky little self. Walking around, giggling, playing, and heading straight for her favorite place...... the steps:)

Isn't it amazing how resilient little ones are when it comes to situations like this? It blows my mind!

She was great the rest of the night. She ate dinner and played with Sarah right up until bedtime. Went down without a problem and is still sleeping as I type this.

I am anxious to see what her eye looks like today and pray that it will heal quickly and with minimal scarring.

Believe it or not, this was our first visit to the ER with one of our children. We have never had any kind of injuries with Nick, Sarah, or Reagan up until yesterday. I am sure it will not be our last vist because lets face it, kids are kids, but I hope it is a long time before we have to experience something like this again.

We are hoping to get out a little today! It is going to be almost 60 Degrees and I think we could all use a little fresh air.....and a play area with no furniture:)

PS... we bought a leather ottoman when we moved into this house to use as a coffee table thinking it would be a safe bet with little ones instead of something with sharp corners or edges. Apparently, even leather can do damage. She must have hit it at just the right angle.

70 comments:

Oh, Lisa... I am so very sorry. I've never experienced that with the Tongginator, but it was terrifying just with my niece. Glad little Reagan is more herself now and pray she heals quickly. And that YOU do, too.

Oh my goodness Lisa! I burst into tears myself reading this. Mainly becasue our girls are only 1 week apart in age, both adopted and both sooo precious to us! And I know how fast they are too! Please give her a big kiss and hug from me and Gracie and if you get a chance, please post and let us know how she is. Lots of love Debbie xoxo

Oh Lisa, I have tears rolling down my face reading this post. My heart breaks for what you had to go through. It sounds like everyones panic mode paid off and Reagan got the best care she could!! She is so beautiful and full of life, those stitches will be gone before you know it!! Hang in there mama...xoxo

Poor baby...something very similar happened to Emanuiel not long after he came home. He fell off of the bed and hit a copper tub. It was very traumatic for all of us when it happened but he got over it very quickly. Hope all of you can get out and enjoy some sunshine!

What trauma to go through for you and Reagen! We have not had to go to the emergency room in years (our older kids are in their 30's). What a scary time for you. So glad to see those happy pictures of her afterward! Yes, I would have had a big cry too!

Oh Lisa! That is so hard...Brendan's had stitches twice. The last time he was in kindergarten, and the plastic surgeon had to restrain him on a papoose board. Talk about screaming. It was horrendous. I know exactly how you felt! So glad Reagan was able to shake it off...kids are amazing.

Oh poor kid! Poor Mom, Poor Dad and Poor Sarah!It looks like they did a fantastic job on the stitches. Amazing how doctors can focus in a room with a screaming toddler.

Amelia has had several trips to the ER, but no stitches, thank goodness. She hit her eye in the same place on a corner of my sister's deck once and my head went right where yours did - damage to the eye. I rushed her to the ER and the doctor assured me no damage had been done -just a nasty black eye.

We were only home DAYS before Amelia hit her head on my coffee table - I took her to the doctor immediately - she was fine. I still do not have any coffee tables in my house. It was that scary to me. I never would have thought it possible to cut yourself on an ottoman - that's what I use too.

Oh Lisa,The EXACT same thing happened to Eli except they strapped him to a wooden board. I feel so sorry for you. That was a very emotional night for us.He was just fine though and you can't even see a scar now.

Aww.. How scary! Just a tip, but you could possibly have a plastic surgeon look at it, since the wound is on her face and so close to her eye. They tend to have better technique than ER doctors, which minimizes scarring.

Oh Lisa! How scared you all must have been!!! I remember how close I was to passing out when Mia had her stitches in her lip in November - but near the eye!! Oh wow! That has to be even more horrible to watch! I'm so glad to hear that she was back to her normal self later in the day. We used lots of Vitamin E to prevent scarring. Not sure if you can do that so close to the eye, but it really helped Mia. What a big brave girl you have!!

Oh no... I'm so sorry. I know how rough that was for Mommy and Reagan. Hope it heals quickly for her.

And don't feel bad...my sister is a nurse but when her baby did the exact same thing (cut above his eye that needed stitches) she completely panicked and all her training went out the window. It's a natural response when your child is hurt.

Oh Lisa, I can't stop crying after reading your post! I was called at work last week from the daycare because another child accidently dropped a toy and it hit Katie's eye. I was a nervous wreck driving the 40 minutes it takes me to get to her daycare. I can't imagine having to go thru the trama of an ER visit!! You stayed strong when you needed to be, you are a WONDERFUL mother and Reagan, Sarah and Nick are so blessed:)

Dear Lisa, all the way from Holland!! Just letting you know I will be thinking of you and Reagan. Lately our daughter Channa had to have surgery... making her sleep was the hardest thing ever. So I know what it feels like. Just like you, non of our children has either broken anything or needed more than just a kiss-to-heal (and we have 5). Wish you the best in "forgetting" and Reagan in healing,

Oh that is so scary!!! I am so glad she is okay and back to herself. I will pray that it heals well. I can only imagine how scared you must have been. And poor Sarah was probably so scared!!!

We did have an incident like that with Harry. it happened at church and they would not numb the area because it was his lip and the plastic surgeon insisted he cold do it better without the numbing sutff (I guess it swells a tad)..SO Harry had the stitches done without it. I could not be there (I was out with Will) but Dave said he was "statue still." And honestly we have found that our boys face these things better with Dave. But if it was my baby who just came home...I would have had to be there too...NO DOUBT!

So sorry that this happened. It is so frightening when they get hurt. Alexa hit her eye in the exact same spot at the same age. I was so scared but thankfully no stitches required. Glad it is over and Reagan is back to her happy self. You're a strong mom for handling all that and I would have been having the ugly cry later as well!!Hugs,Sue

Oh MY Lisa. we've been there done that and it is so stressful! Elijah was 3 when we moved into our house in Australia - I was not happy that they gave us a house with white tile throughout and sure enough Elijah fell and I actually called 000 (911 in AU) and it took them so long to answer that I had the (gushing) bleeding on his forehead controlled by the time they got to the phone :( anyway I guess it is a rite of passage and Reagan seems none the worse - thank God!

Praying for Reagan's eye to heal with no scar! Hope the rest of your weekend is less eventful :)

In the 13 years that I have raised my other kids, we never had to go to the ER until a couple of months ago, with Jacob. He fell down the steps that he had done MANY times before. Not sure what he hit, no sharp edges, but enough to cut his forehead fairly deep. They did use the glue. He did very well with it. He had stopped crying long before we were in teh car and only fussed when he had to lay still for the glue. He will probably have a small scar (scar gel 2-3x day). Praying that hers won't much. (((HUGS)) to you. The ER doc said "it happens!".

Oh my...that is so frightening. You just wrote a post on her bravery and climbing too:( Our Elisabeth picked up and dropped and fell on a broken gatorade bottle (a long time ago when they were glass) My husband was telling her no to not pick that up and in slow motion, like you said, could not get to her in time. The cut on the back of her thigh under her tushy was two inches deep. I did faint over her in the ER, so I know what you mean. It is SO traumatic for everyone. The next morning she was (BTW she was 2 years old) riding her little fisher price riding toy around the house like nothing happened. Amazing aren't they??? Praying for no scarring and that she is not in any pain my friend. Love you bunches.

Poor Baby! Poor Mommy!!!Unfortunately I understand how traumatic this is for you. I am amazed how quickly the little ones bounce back as if nothing happened. I'm glad it was that was for Reagan, now if only Mommies could boucne back as quickly.

Poor Reagan and poor you!! When I was as a student nurse in the emergency room last year a little girl (2 years old) came in with her parents. She had a pretty deep wound on her chin. At first she was pretty content and her mom was telling her how brave she was. Another student nurse and me held the little girl (along with her 2 parents) while the other nurse got her stitches. The poor girl wouldn't stop crying for her mommy, her mom had to go out of the room because she couldn't stop crying. It was pretty sad to see that little girl so scared so I guess how you must have felt! I hope she gets well soon!

Oh my, reading this reminds me of when we had to take Addison in to have surgery on her neck and they had to try 3 times to get an IV in her arm. They wrapped her up and she just screamed and cried it was horrible! They are so resilient though, she was back to normal way quicker than I was! Hope she is feeling much better today!

That's one of the hardest posts to read... I could feel your pain through it all!!! We have had stitches, broken arms, and major heart surgery... it is sheer will that allows us mom's to endure some of the most gut wrenching situations for the sake of our precious children. You were SO brave and sweet Reagan knows more than ever that you are her forever mommy!!! Bless you this day and hoping she heals quickly!!!XO

Happened to me when I was little...same spot...fell on a porch step. Don't worry...she's so young you'll hardly see the scar after a year. Mine looks like a little starburst beside my eye. She'll be fine...mom? Not so sure. :-)

Poor baby, poor Mama and poor Sarah. How scary for all involved!! Im glad she is back to herself and that you were able to have a good cry and get it all out!!

We always say Ava will be our first broken bone! 4 boys and no broken bones. But Ava is our risk taker and has no fear. We have done stitches twice on the bottom of the chin with two boys, I totally freaked and it was an horrible experience. but they did bounce back quickly too.

I'm so glad Reagan is okay. I can't even imagine what you must have been feeling while they had your baby wrapped up without being able to hold and comfort her. I've never had to go to the E.R. with the kids...hope I never have to. It really is amazing how these kids can bounce right back as if nothing ever happened. Hope you're able to play outside today and enjoy the spring day.

Oh my goodness...so difficult for you all! Thankfully I never had to make an ER trip for stitches when they were that young so no papoose. However, my hubby and oldest son are in the ER as I type. He fell during bball in the driveway on this glorious day and thinks he broke his arm :(

Oh Lisa, I am so sorry! Praying she heals quickly and that this becomes a distant memory. Thankful there was no damage to her eye or her sight. I cried as I read this...sometimes Hannah still scratches; til she bleeds, and it is the one thing that breaks me, truly and totally breaks me. Hoping she never has to feel that helplessness ever again!

Even with stitches "R" looks adorable!!!!!!! I am so sorry. I know that helpless feeling... But, I also know the feeling of NEEDING to be there. Reagan is so blessed to have such a loving Mama! Clearly she is one happy little girl. No stitches are going to hold her down for long!!!! Such a cutie Lisa! I love watching her blossom each week!

Oh dear oh dear. I'm glad you're all feeling a little better now. Can't even imagine how hard it is to watch your child go through something like this - it's gotta be heartbreaking.

Poor sweet little Reagan. I pray she heals quickly.

And I'm glad you cried, because that was stressful, and Mamas need to cry now and again. Especially because of the love we have for these little ones. Sometimes with a certain love and relief comes tears.

Oh my Lisa, my heart goes out to you. My stomach just did some dips of it own reading your recount of the story. We have been very lucky here and not had any ER visits as of yet but like you said with kids it's just a matter of time. I'm glad to hear she is back to her happy little self!

Oh goodness! I've been there before and I know how terrifying that was for you. Jake fell down and sliced open his forehead! I thought for sure I was going to pass out from panic!! I'm so glad she is back to her sweet beautiful happy self. Hugs momma!

Oh sweet baby!! I'm so sorry!! I did a similar thing when I was a baby and my mother said she never saw so much blood. I guess head / eye wounds give quite a bit of blood. I would have been a MESS. I'm not very good in panic mode.

I'm SOOO glad to see her little smile in that last photo! She looks like all is right in the world!

Oh Lisa, I can only imagine how difficult this was for you! I could feel your shock and fear as I read the first part. Thank God she's ok and no damage to her eye.And thank God that you were able to be there for her, and that it didn't happen in those first few weeks when she was still settling into the family. Sarah's reaction is so sweet; I probably shouldn't have, but I laughed at it!My son had a deep cut on his chin when he was 5, but as he has grown and his face got bigger, the scar faded considerably.

Oh no Lisa. I am so glad Reagan is okay. Poor baby. We had a similar thing happen with Sammy and she had to get stitches in her head. It looks like Reagan is doing so good now and please give her a big hug from us.

Not to rain on your parade, but outside can be so dangerous too. My 2 year old fell on a small stick last year and put it through the roof of his mouth, barely missing his sinus cavity. I turned to help another one of my kids for literally a second.

This brought back memories to an emergency room visit when my now twelve-year-old was four and he broke his arm. I was also crying in the emergency room as they reset his arm and I heard him scream as he has never screamed before.

I was very teary-eyed as I read your post. How scary for all of you.

I am so glad you found her smiling later that day! What a sweet baby! :)

Lisa,So very sorry to hear about your traumatic Friday morning!! When I was Reagan's age I fell down some stairs head first into the corner of a wall. Apparently the cut in my forehead was so deep you could see bone. I got 13 stitches and I apparently had to be in the papoose too. My mother tells me that she took one of my favorite dolls and put stitches in her forehead too so when we went to the doc to have the stitches removed, he took the stitches out of the doll first. I guess that helped me feel better about him taking the stitches out of my forehead too.

Many kisses to both your girls. Seems they both had a big scare. Glad you are all okay. Shannon

Just wanted you to know I'm pretty sure I know how you felt. I haven't even blogged about it...it was THAT traumatic. About a year-and-a-half ago, Caroline received second degree burns on her hand and arm from an accident that happened with me standing right next to her. She has healed, and the only scars from her burn are thankfully under her forearm and barely noticeable except to this mommy.

I have this story in my head and my heart that I want to write about it, but I just haven't been able to put it down yet. Much prayer went into trying to figure out WHY. What God has given me is that, even though I knew it before, there is no doubt in my mind, my heart, my soul how much I love this girl. If I could have taken her pain as my own, I would have done so in a split second.

That is so scary. I am glad you are past the worst of it. I think the worst feeling of being a parent is hopelessness, when there is nothing you can physically do to make the pain go away.

I remember feeling that when my youngest broke her arm several months ago. To hear her crying in agony for over two hours in my arms was the worst feeling I have ever dealt with. I would have given anything to be able to trade places with her. I get teary just thinking back on it.

How traumatic for everyone! I would have been right there by her side too, but most likely would have passed out after the stitches were done and I knew that she was going to be okay. Poor sweetie! I am glad that she is doing so well and hope she heals quickly!

Oh Lisa!! I'm just back into town & trying to catch up on the blogs when I read this!! I am SO sorry to hear about all of this!! Tyler had a similar fall a couple of weeks ago - hit the corner of the leather couch. No stiches required but a serious black eye that lasted for a couple of weeks. We thought the same thing about the coffee table & have a cloth ottoman ... I guess nothing is safe. I'm glad to hear she is doing great & I know it was a very emotionaly draining experience for everyone! {{HUGS}}